Associations of Hypochondriacal Tendencies and Depression with Somatization Among Nurses Caring for Patients with Cancer: A Cross-Sectional Study

초록

Purpose: This study aimed to examine hypochondriacal tendencies and depression among nurses caring for cancer patients and to analyze their associations with somatization. Methods: This cross-sectional survey study included 273 nurses who had cared for cancer patients for more than 1 year across three hospitals in the Seoul metropolitan area. Data were collected using the Illness Attitude Scale, the Patient Health Questionnaire-9, and the somatization subscale of the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-tests, one-way ANOVA, Pearson’s correlation coefficients, and hierarchical multiple regression analyses. Results: Significant differences in somatization were found by employment type (t=4.13, p=.001) and department (F=4.68, p=.001). Positive associations were identified between hypochondriacal tendencies, depression, and somatization (r=.48–.64, p<.001). Hierarchical multiple regression analysis showed that depression (β=.50, p<.001) and hypochondriacal tendencies (β=.27, p<.001) were significantly associated with somatization, with the final model explaining 50.0% of the variance (R2 =.50, adjusted R2 =.48, F=26.41, p<.001). Conclusion: Hypochondriacal tendencies and depression among nurses caring for cancer patients were significantly associated with somatization. These findings suggest the importance of monitoring hypochondriacal tendencies and depression as part of the preventive and intervention strategies to mitigate somatization in nurses.

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